Scientists have found the genetic signature of enterovirus D68 in half of the California and Colorado children diagnosed with acute flaccid myelitis -- sudden, unexplained muscle weakness and paralysis -- between 2012 and 2014, with most cases occurring during a nationwide outbreak of severe respiratory illness from EV-D68 last fall.

Date syrup – a thick, sweet liquid derived from dates that is widely consumed across the Middle East – shows antibacterial activity against a number of disease-causing bacteria, including Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli.

For many, body odor is an unfortunate side effect of their daily lives. The smell is caused by bacteria on the skin breaking down naturally secreted molecules contained within sweat. Now scientists have studied the underarm microbiome and identified a unique set of enzymes in the bacterium Staphylococcus hominis that is effective at breaking down sweat molecules into compounds known as thioalcohols, an important component of the characteristic body odor smell.

By studying the morphology and physiology of plants with tiny conical "hairs" or microfibers on the surface of their leaves, such as tomatoes, balsam pears and the flowers Berkheya purpea and Lychnis sieboldii, a team of researchers uncovered water collection-and-release secrets that may, in turn, one day soon "bioinspire" a technology to pull fresh water from the air to help alleviate global water shortages.

Supplemental feeding of wildlife can increase the spread of some infectious diseases and decrease the spread of others. A new study by ecologists finds that the outcome depends on the type of pathogen and the source of food. The findings have implications for human health and wildlife conservation, and contain practical suggestions for wildlife disease management and a roadmap for future study.

A known antibiotic and antifungal compound produced by a soil microbe can inhibit another species of microbe from forming biofilms - -microbial mats that frequently are medically harmful -- without killing that microbe. These findings may apply to other microbial species, and can herald a plethora of scientific and societal benefits, researchers say.

Coast redwoods (Sequioa sempervirens), famous for being the world's tallest trees, are also unusual for their ability to reproduce clonally from stumps, fallen logs, and roots. Researchers have outlined a new method to identify clonal lineages and study clonal diversity across the species' geographic range. Genetic data produced from this protocol could help guide sustainable forest management of commercial young-growth forests and also improve efforts to preserve ancient redwood populations.